


Daughter's Lament

by Trickster_Angel



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 21:32:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12374508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trickster_Angel/pseuds/Trickster_Angel
Summary: The death of Malcolm Hawke





	Daughter's Lament

**Author's Note:**

> This story is heavily based on the song [Daughter's Lament](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNCXzevM8s) by The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Please listen to the song while reading.

Fate looked at the bowl in her hands. The soup was hot, steam rising from its surface. She was no cook but with her mother and Bethany tending to her father, it was between her and Carver to make it. And Carver was worse at cooking than she was.

Fate entered the sick room quietly, not wanting to disturb them. Her mother knelt down next to her father, holding his hand. Bethany was trying yet another healing spell. They didn’t work, they hadn’t yet, but she was trying, and that was commendable. Carver couldn’t stand to be in the room and after Fate’s own attempts at healing had failed, she couldn’t either.

“Father,” she said and everyone in the room looked at her, “I brought you soup.”

Malcolm gave her a weak smile before he started coughing. Blood speckled his hands.

“Malcolm,” Leandra said, easing him back down after his coughing fit.

“Father, please eat something,” Fate said, “You need to keep up your strength.”

“Thank you, Fate,” he said with a smile. Bethany took the bowl from her and put it on the nightstand next to the bed. Neither Malcolm nor Leandra paid it any mind.

“Fate, you need to go to the apothecary,” Leandra said, “He should have the medicine ready by now. Take Carver with you.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Fate promised and left the room. Bethany followed after her.

“I can’t see him lying there, not even able to eat,” she said softly. A tear streamed down her cheek.

“It’ll be okay, Bethany,” Fate said and gave her little sister a hug. She was only fifteen, far too young to have to deal with this.

“What if he doesn’t make it?” she whispered.

“This is Father, remember?” Fate said, escorting her sister to the main room where Carver was, “He escaped the Kirkwall Circle for Mother. He can overcome an illness.”

“The Circle isn’t an illness, Sister,” Carver chimed in. Bethany hugged him and he hugged her back.

“It may as well be,” Fate replied, “Look after her for me, Carver. I’m going to get the medicine from the apothecary.”

“It’s dangerous to go alone,” Carver said.

“I’ll take Lucky with me,” Fate replied and she was out the door. Her mabari heard her approach and rushed to her side. He was deemed too noisy for her Father in his delicate state and was banished from the house.

“Come on, boy. We’re going to get Father’s medicine,” Fate said. He barked and ran a circle around her.

Behind the house, near the wood pile, Malcolm kept all their staves. Fate grabbed hers and headed into the woods. The apothecary was further outside town, even more so than they were. But it was dangerous to be a mage and offer one’s services to others. Lothering was grateful to him and didn’t turn him in but it paid to be cautious. Besides, it wasn’t like Fate couldn’t handle herself in the woods.

It was a windy, sunny day. It was chilly, but it was always chilly in Fereldan. Her mother complained bitterly of the cold but Fate loved it. It was perfect weather for the walk.

The animals ran in the forest, quick to avoid a person walking through. The birds chirped and sunlight streamed through the trees. Fate was used to this walk. She’d done it many times before and not always to the apothecary. Her father took her and Bethany deep into the woods before they would practice magic. He said the woods were dangerous but Fate had never seen it before.

Lucky stopped short. Fate turned to him. His hackles were raised and he snarled at something in front of them.

“What is it, boy?” she asked. She looked deeper into the woods and saw nothing.

“Your trip is pointless,” a deep voice boomed.

Fate readied her staff. “Who’s there?” At that moment, she realized that all the animal noises had ceased. There were no insects chirping or birds calling. Everything was silent. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. The wind suddenly felt so cold.

A mass of black shambled towards her. A demon. Fate had seen them many times before in her dreams. But this was the first one she’d seen beyond the Fade.

“What do you want?” she asked, pretending to sound braver than she felt, “I don’t make deals with demons.”

“You’re too late,” it replied, “Your father is already dead.”

“You’re lying,” Fate hissed, “He’ll be fine once I get the medicine.”

“You should go home. Your sister is weak right now. She just lost her father.”

“Are you threatening her?” Fate demanded, “You won’t have a chance to corrupt my family.” She launched an ice spell at the demon and it roared at her. It slithered forward and Fate felt ice cold. She didn’t want to have to fight a demon. Lucky barked and ran towards it. Fate launched another spell.  Steadily, they weakened it together. Fate threw the demon against a tree with her magic and it vanished from existence.

And it was done. She was breathing heavily, exhausted from the fight. Her mana was low. But Fate took a deep breath and ran forward. Surely, the demon was wrong, trying to tempt her into a bargain, to make her an abomination. But some part of her feared that it was right. She had to get back home.

She wasn’t far off from the apothecary’s house. Once she saw it, she sprinted the last few feet and started pounding on his door. He answered it within a moment, looking confused, with a staff in his hand.

“Ser, my father is dying,” Fate said, “My mother ordered medicine for him.”

“I didn’t realize Ser Hawke’s condition was so dire,” he said and let Fate inside. He looked through some bottles and gathered some herbs. Fate watched him anxiously, almost shaking in fear. She needed to get back home.

“It’s right here,” the apothecary said and handed her a bottle, “Make sure Ser Hawke drinks this. It will help with his cough.”

“Thank you,” Fate said. She gave him all the money she had on her, not wanting to stop and count out the precise amount. Then she took off running again, with Lucky right next to her.

She could hear the animals running about again. She was glad for it but nothing was going to stand in her way, no demon was going to keep this medicine from her father.

After only a few minutes, she saw her house again. There was nothing suspicious from the outside but she didn’t slow down. Fate all but broke down the door getting back inside. Lucky dashed in after her. Bethany and Carver jumped at the sight of her. Bethany was crying and even Carver had shed a tear.

“Sister,” Bethany said slowly, “Father-”

“I have his medicine,” Fate said and ran past them. She opened the door to the sickroom.

Leandra leaned on the bed, weeping. Malcolm looked almost peaceful. His eyes were closed but he looked too still. He looked too pale. The soup had remained untouched.

The bottle shattered. Fate looked down and realized she had dropped it. Leandra jumped up and looked at the door. Her eyes were swollen with crying. And she looked angry.

Fate felt awkward. She didn’t say anything as she backed out of the room and slowly closed the door.

Once it was closed, she sank to the floor. The demon had been right. Her father was dead. She’d been too late.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to do something, anything but she felt frozen.

 Bethany sobbed. Fate could hear her crying. And she knew what she had to do.

Fate got to her feet and walked forward, back to the main room. Carver and Bethany were both crying.

“Bethany, Carver.” Her voice sounded raw, even to her. They both looked at her. They were still so young and it showed when they cried.

“Let’s sit down,” Fate suggested. Neither made a move to sit, so Fate walked over to them. She put an arm around their shoulders and nudged them forward. She led them back to her room and they sat on her bed. She kept her arms around them. Bethany broke out into tears again. Carver was trying to be stoic, not saying anything as the tears fell.

“It will be okay,” Fate said, “It will be okay.” They sat there for hours, and Fate repeated her mantra. She was the oldest and the strongest. She had to become what they’d just lost. She would make sure her brother and sister would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I published something for Dragon Age but I was inspired by the song. Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always appreciated.


End file.
